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To ask Her Majesty’s Government which regulatory authority will be responsible for the helicopters and other aircraft to be employed by the civilian contractor to whom the United Kingdom air-sea rescue task is to be transferred in the near future.[HL6775]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which regulatory authority will be responsible for the helicopters and other aircraft to be employed by the civilian contractor to whom the United Kingdom air-sea rescue task is to be transferred in the near future.[HL6775]
The helicopters will be flown under an air operations certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. Day to day management of the contract will be undertaken by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government from what date it is proposed that the United Kingdom air-sea rescue task will be transferred to a civilian contractor. [HL6776]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government from what date it is proposed that the United Kingdom air-sea rescue task will be transferred to a civilian contractor. [HL6776]
Operations under the new contractor will commence during 2015, with bases being transitioned in to service on a phased basis to allow the gradual withdrawal of the military from search and rescue by March 2016. The new service will be fully operational by summer 2017, once the military drawdown is complete and the extant Maritime and Coastguard Agency helicopter contracts have expired.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the country of registration of the helicopters and other aircraft to be employed by the civilian contractor to whom the United Kingdom air-sea rescue task is to be transferred in the near future.[HL6777]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the country of registration of the helicopters and other aircraft to be employed by the civilian contractor to whom the United Kingdom air-sea rescue task is to be transferred in the near future.[HL6777]
The helicopters will all be registered in the UK.
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that reply. Although precise numbers are difficult to come by, as he says, is it not the case that there are several hundred police officers still serving in the Metropolitan Police who have been convicted of serious criminal offences but who continue to serve—including, no doubt, giving evidence on oath in other criminal cases? Is that really satisfactory?
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that reply. Although precise numbers are difficult to come by, as he says, is it not the case that there are several hundred police officers still serving in the Metropolitan Police who have been convicted of serious criminal offences but who continue to serve—including, no doubt, giving evidence on oath in other criminal cases? Is that really satisfactory?
I understand the noble Lord’s concern, particularly as it is based on those figures, but in fact those figures are not accurate. I have been able to obtain some accurate figures. In 2005, a total of 46 officers were serving in the MPS who had a criminal conviction. That went down to 25 in 2010, and in 2012 there was a further decline to a total of 15 officers serving with the MPS with a
criminal conviction. Of these 15 officers, the majority of convictions, 10 of them, were for traffic offences including excess alcohol.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Metropolitan Police Service regarding the arrangements for assessing the continued suitability of officers convicted of serious criminal offences.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Metropolitan Police Service regarding the arrangements for assessing the continued suitability of officers convicted of serious criminal offences.
My Lords, the Government have not had any specific discussions with the Metropolitan Police Service regarding the arrangements for assessing the continual suitability of officers convicted of serious criminal offences. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime is responsible for holding the commissioner to account for his decisions in this regard. My noble friend will know, and I have written to him on this matter, that I share his concern that police officers should meet the highest standards of professional behaviour.
My Lords, is my noble friend aware, in his reference to the historic situation with Reserve Forces, that I stood at that Dispatch Box and announced the increase in the Territorial Army, not to 31,000 but to 83,000, and that I announced the formation of 607 City of York Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, to be deployed in support of 2nd Infantry Division, then commanded by Major-General Peter Inge, now of course the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Inge? Is he also aware that I stood at that Dispatch Box and announced the purchase of 11 River class minesweepers, exclusively for the Royal Naval Reserve, assisted on that occasion by the then Commander Alan West, now of course Admiral Lord West, the noble Lord, Lord West?
My Lords, is my noble friend aware, in his reference to the historic situation with Reserve Forces, that I stood at that Dispatch Box and announced the increase in the Territorial Army, not to 31,000 but to 83,000, and that I announced the formation of 607 City of York Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, to be deployed in support of 2nd Infantry Division, then commanded by Major-General Peter Inge, now of course the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Inge? Is he also aware that I stood at that Dispatch Box and announced the purchase of 11 River class minesweepers, exclusively for the Royal Naval Reserve, assisted on that occasion by the then Commander Alan West, now of course Admiral Lord West, the noble Lord, Lord West?
My Lords, I remember well when my noble friend was a very distinguished Minister standing at this Dispatch Box, and I believe I lobbed the odd question at him. My noble friend mentioned the figure of 83,000. That is why we are very optimistic that we can get up to a figure of 30,000 by 2018.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officers currently serving in the Metropolitan Police Service have been convicted of serious criminal offences.[HL5818]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officers currently serving in the Metropolitan Police Service have been convicted of serious criminal offences.[HL5818]
The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. This centrally held information does not include details of the occupations of defendants. As
such it is not possible to identify, in all cases where a defendant is convicted of a serious criminal offence, whether the defendant was an officer serving in the Metropolitan Police Service.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Air Accident Investigation Branch continues to require closure of the roads around the site of the recent helicopter crash in Vauxhall; when they expect the roads to be re-opened; and why they were not opened as expected on 4 February.[HL5287]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Air Accident Investigation Branch continues to require closure of the roads around the site of the recent helicopter crash in Vauxhall; when they expect the roads to be re-opened; and why they were not opened as expected on 4 February.[HL5287]
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is no longer on site and do not require any road closures at Vauxhall as all the helicopter debris has now been recovered.
With the exception of trunk roads, under devolution roads in London are the responsibility of the local highway authority, either Transport for London (TfL) or the relevant London Borough.
However, TfL has advised that repairing a crane of this size and nature is a slow and intricate process and that severe weather can have a significant effect on progress. Due to recent high winds, some of which have reached in excess of 35 kilometres per hour, and heavy fog around the Vauxhall area, Brookfield Multiplex’s work to repair the 190-metre crane on St Georges Tower took longer than originally planned but was completed on 10 February 2013.
To ask the Chairman of Committees how many Private Notice Questions have been submitted to the Lord Speaker for approval in each parliamentary session since 2006; how many have been accepted; and how many refused.[HL4138]
To ask the Chairman of Committees how many Private Notice Questions have been submitted to the Lord Speaker for approval in each parliamentary session since 2006; how many have been accepted; and how many refused.[HL4138]
The table below shows the number of Private Notice Questions submitted and accepted in each Session since the 2006-07 Session. The numbers shown for the 2012-13 Session were correct up until 14 December 2012.
| Session | Submitted | Accepted | Refused,
withdrawn or superseded by a
statement |
| 2006-07 | 14 | 2 | 12 |
| 2007-08 | 13 | 3 | 10 |
| 2008-09 | 16 | 7 | 9 |
| 2009-10 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 2010-12 | 52 | 10 | 42 |
| 2012-13
to
date | 25 | 8 | 17 |
The last column shows how many Private Notice Questions in each Session have been refused, withdrawn or superseded by a statement. The number of questions refused is not recorded separately, so it is not possible to break down the figures in the last column further.
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that of all the soldiers who went south to the Falkland Islands in 1982, approximately one-third came back with permanent hearing damage? Will he ensure that the arrangements he has described will fully take into account the needs of that group of people?
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that of all the soldiers who went south to the Falkland Islands in 1982, approximately one-third came back with permanent hearing damage? Will he ensure that the arrangements he has described will fully take into account the needs of that group of people?
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for raising a very important issue about war veterans. My department is doing a lot of work in this area. I will write to him if I have anything more specific.
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that helpful reply. If it is the policy—which I believe it is, and I support it—to increase the use of reservists in the medical services of our three Armed Forces, it is important that we have a good supply of experienced and trained medical personnel, particularly from the National Health Service. Is the Minister satisfied that the National Health Service, which itself is pressed in many areas, will be able to supply the number of personnel that will be required in future years, and that no unnecessary restrictions will be placed in their way?
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that helpful reply. If it is the policy—which I believe it is, and I support it—to increase the use of reservists in the medical services of our three Armed Forces, it is important that we have a good supply of experienced and trained medical personnel, particularly from the National Health Service. Is the Minister satisfied that the National Health Service, which itself is pressed in many areas, will be able to supply the number of personnel that will be required in future years, and that no unnecessary restrictions will be placed in their way?
My Lords, I agree with my noble friend that we will need a good supply of reservists in future. NHS employees are free to join the reserves without any interference from their employer. If they come from a trust that does not have reserve-friendly HR policies—and these trusts are very rare—they can still join the reserves, but in the worst case they may have to take leave to train. We recognise, as did the previous Government, that my noble friend highlights a serious problem. The issue is being addressed by the reserves consultation document. We are consulting as widely as possible to ensure that we have the right relationship with employers and reservists to sustain these changes in future. We need to understand what difficulties employers face in releasing their staff and to do our best to mitigate them.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the respective numerical strengths of the medical services of the Royal Navy, Army and the Royal Air Force, and what proportion of those personnel are reservists.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the respective numerical strengths of the medical services of the Royal Navy, Army and the Royal Air Force, and what proportion of those personnel are reservists.
My Lords, I am sure the whole House will wish to join me in offering sincere condolences to the family and friends of Captain Walter Barrie, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who was killed on operations in Afghanistan recently. My thoughts are also with the wounded, and I pay tribute to the courage and fortitude in which they face their rehabilitation.
On the Question, in April this year the numerical strength of the naval medical service was 1,650, of whom 60—just under 4%—were reservists. The strength of the army medical service was 8,040, of which 2,840—35%—were reservists, and the strength of the Royal Air Force medical service was 2,120, of which 190—9%—were reservists. Members of all three medical services, regular and reserve, are making extraordinary contributions to our medical capability in Afghanistan, and I pay tribute to them.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it remains their intention to relax the law regarding planning consent for small extensions to residential and business property by means of statutory instrument subject to the negative procedure.[HL3092]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it remains their intention to relax the law regarding planning consent for small extensions to residential and business property by means of statutory instrument subject to the negative procedure.[HL3092]
Yes. A consultation paper setting out full details of the proposals was published on 12 November and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House. Permitted development rights are set out in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended), and the proposed changes will be implemented by means of an amendment to that order via the negative procedure.
My Lords, since the Army will increasingly continue to rely on territorial forces, in particular to man its medical services, is it not incumbent on the National Health Service to ensure its staff are able to take time off to attend to those duties? Is there anecdotal evidence that hospitals are being—understandably—difficult in that regard?
My Lords, since the Army will increasingly continue to rely on territorial forces, in particular to man its medical services, is it not incumbent on the National Health Service to ensure its staff are able to take time off to attend to those duties? Is there anecdotal evidence that hospitals are being—understandably—difficult in that regard?
My Lords, in Scotland the NHS boards have implemented a national HR policy covering training and mobilisation of reservists in which staff are allowed a minimum of 10 days of special paid leave and so on. Outside Scotland the HR policy is devolved to individual trusts and boards. It would appear that there is no centralised policy, so many organisations have no idea if they employ reservists and do not always record whether an employee is in the reserves. There is evidence to suggest that if leave is requested it is recorded as special leave, similar to jury duty, and so we are not entirely aware of the exact position.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions exist within the public sector, and especially the National Health Service, to allow staff the necessary time to serve in the Territorial Army and other Reserve Forces.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions exist within the public sector, and especially the National Health Service, to allow staff the necessary time to serve in the Territorial Army and other Reserve Forces.
My Lords, the Government are committed to taking the lead as an employer of reservists. The Ministry of Defence works closely within the public sector to establish best practice; this includes providing standardised special paid leave for training, providing visible leadership, promoting the benefits of reserve service and also monitoring reservist employee numbers. In collaboration with the Defence Medical Services, the Department of Health traditionally provides a major part of the military medical manpower and has provisions in place to allow its staff to serve in the reserves.
My Lords, if my noble friend wishes to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises which tender for and secure government business, will he have a look at the complexity of government tendering processes which tend to put off smaller companies from competing in those competitions?
My Lords, if my noble friend wishes to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises which tender for and secure government business, will he have a look at the complexity of government tendering processes which tend to put off smaller companies from competing in those competitions?
My Lords, we are also well aware of that. My right honourable friend Francis Maude and others have been looking in particular at the complexity of the pre-qualification questionnaires. We are doing our best to get rid of those for all contracts below £100,000 per year and to simplify the pre-qualification questionnaires for all others.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what parliamentary approval is required for the implementation of their proposed relaxation of planning controls, particularly in so far as they affect domestic properties.[HL2314]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what parliamentary approval is required for the implementation of their proposed relaxation of planning controls, particularly in so far as they affect domestic properties.[HL2314]
Following a public consultation on the proposals to
extend permitted development rights for homeowners and businesses, they will be implemented by means of a statutory instrument subject to the negative procedure.
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the Environment Agency has authorised several thousand very small sites for the purposes of electrical generation to the dismay of the angling community—and, indeed, the fish?
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the Environment Agency has authorised several thousand very small sites for the purposes of electrical generation to the dismay of the angling community—and, indeed, the fish?
My Lords, my noble friend mentioned the angling community, and I agree with him that it is a very important and large community. When it raises concerns, we take them very seriously. But the trust is fully engaged in ongoing work to review the Environment Agency’s hydropower good practice guidelines.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost per kilowatt-hour (before subsidy) of generating electricity by hydropower; and how many sites within the United Kingdom have been authorised for this purpose.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost per kilowatt-hour (before subsidy) of generating electricity by hydropower; and how many sites within the United Kingdom have been authorised for this purpose.
My Lords, government records indicate that around 625 sites are currently operating in the UK. For large-scale installations over 5 megawatt capacity, the central estimate for standard run-off river hydro plants is 12.8 pence per kilowatt-hour. There are currently no published cost estimates for smaller hydro plants under 5 megawatts, but we expect to publish generation costs later this year for a range of renewable technologies drawing on evidence used in the renewables obligation and feed-in tariff.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will arrange for medical statistics relating to aircrew serving in the Armed Forces to be made available to the Civil Aviation Authority.[HL2028]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will arrange for medical statistics relating to aircrew serving in the Armed Forces to be made available to the Civil Aviation Authority.[HL2028]
Currently the Ministry of Defence does not routinely release medical statistics to the Civil Aviation Authority. However, in the interest of promoting flight safety, the MoD and Civil Aviation Authority have regular communication on topics of shared interest, including medical matters. If a specific request were received from the Civil Aviation Authority for medical statistics, then, within the requirements of the Data Protection Act, Human Rights Act and Freedom of Information Act, data would be made available in an anonymous and non-identifiable format.